Islamic State claims attack on Niamey airport

By: Zagazola Makama

The Islamic State’s media arm, Amaq News Agency, has claimed responsibility for an overnight attack on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital, marking a rare strike close to the heart of the city.

In a statement circulated on Friday, Amaq said fighters of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) carried out a “surprise and coordinated” operation on the night of Jan. 29–30, targeting Air Base 101 located within the airport complex.

The group alleged that the attack caused “significant damage” and “heavy losses,” though Nigerien authorities have not released official casualty figures. Airport operations reportedly continued after the incident, while damage assessment was ongoing.

Zagazola report that the assault, which lasted several hours on the night of 28–29 January, was carried out by armed assailants mounted on motorcycles who switched off their headlights to infiltrate the city undetected.

The attackers reportedly targeted military installations co-located with the civilian airport, including drone platforms, air defense systems, and commercial aircraft belonging to Air Côte d’Ivoire and ASKY Airlines. Mortars, drones, and small arms were used in the attack.

The Nigerien Defense and Security Forces, with the support of Russian African Corps personnel, repelled the assault, sustaining four injuries among security personnel. Twenty assailants were neutralized, 11 apprehended, and several motorcycles destroyed or seized. Civilians were unharmed.

Reacting to the incident, Niger’s military leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, accused France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire of backing the attackers, while commending Russia for its support to Niger’s defence efforts. ISIS had now came out to claim responsibility for the attack dismissing the initial claims of Niger’s Junta.

Islamic State claims attack on Niamey airport

Borno Begins Direct Payment of LG Allocations as Zulum Approves Financial Autonomy

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has authorised the immediate disbursement of monthly statutory allocations directly to the 27 local government councils in the state.

The approval was announced on Thursday by the Acting Governor, Dr. Umar Usman Kadafur, following the swearing-in of newly elected local government chairmen in Maiduguri.

Kadafur explained that the decision was taken in line with the Supreme Court ruling on local government financial autonomy and President Bola Tinubu’s directive issued in December 2025, calling on state governments to comply with constitutional provisions.

He said the move is intended to strengthen grassroots governance by eliminating delays associated with fund approvals and ensuring councils have direct access to resources for development.

According to him, Governor Zulum’s administration remains committed to transparency and accountability, noting that the state will continue to publicly disclose allocations made to local governments to promote responsible use of public funds.

The acting governor charged the council chairmen to prioritise service delivery and remain accountable to their constituents, stressing that every fund received must be used judiciously for the benefit of the people.

He also warned against wasteful spending, urging the chairmen to focus on projects that directly improve livelihoods, security and social welfare at the community level.

Kadafur further directed the council leaders to ensure prompt payment of salaries and entitlements of local government workers, describing staff welfare as a critical factor in restoring productivity and discipline across councils.

The event attracted several prominent political figures, including the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno; Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan; the Borno State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bello Ayuba; and former Deputy Governors Ali Abubakar Jata’Au and Usman Mamman Durkwa.

Other dignitaries present were the member representing Jere Federal Constituency, Engr. Satomi Ahmad; the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, represented by the House Leader, Dige Mohammed; the Secretary to the State Government; the Head of Service, Dr. Amini Muhammad Ghuluze; alongside senior government officials and party leaders.

Borno Begins Direct Payment of LG Allocations as Zulum Approves Financial Autonomy

FG hails Gombe’s public service reform

The Federal Government has lauded the Gombe state government for its comprehensive public service reforms to enhance quality service delivery to the people.

Dr Dasuki Arabi, Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR), said this in Gombe on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Gombe State BPSR Headquarters.

Arabi praised Gov. Inuwa Yahaya for establishing the BPSR in the state, and driving digitalisation, efficiency and worker welfare since 2019.

He said the state was already reaping gains of embracing reforms in public service which impacted governance, making Gombe a model to other states.

The DG said that part of the reforms that Gombe initiated using technology resulted in the introduction of biometric attendance in civil service which addressed absenteeism.

He highlighted that the biometric improved efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery as well as tackle ghost workers.

According to Arabi, the reforms including digitalisation of system and operation is part of the reason for the improvement in revenue collection in the state from N6 billion in 2019 to N40 billion in 2024.

He said that with the digitalisation of government operations, forgery and other sharp practices had been tackled and revenue collection improved.

Arabi said that the progress made by Gombe State through the reforms resulted in the state being ranked 8th at the BPSR 2025 edition of the Transparency and Integrity Index (TII).

He described the index as a vital tool for strengthening accountability, openness and ethical standards across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The BPSR helmsman said the state government’s effort at building stronger institutions for a more accountable and prosperous state and a culture of openness and responsibility that inspires public trust, has become a model to others.

Arabi, however, urged the state to sustain the feat and work towards full digitalisation of payroll management as well as record systems yet to be digitalised.

“I also call on the state to carryout a deep staff audit and do a skills gaps analysis to indicate where we need to improve and who we need to manage certain areas,” he said.

Mr Abubakar Hassan, Director-General, Gombe State BPSR, said the reforms were made possible as a result of the political will of the governor.

Hassan highlighted how the reforms helped improved the transparency rating of the state, stressing that many development partners were in the state because of the open governance style of the Yahaya-led administration.

According to Hassan, the government is working hard to replicate all reforms by the federal government at the state level to deliver better services to the people.

“Today, Gombe is a model because of our bold reforms initiated by Govenor Yahaya which has helped us in revenue collection, land administration, civil service digitalisation, budget process, elimination of ghost workers syndrome amongst others,” he said.

Hassan pledged to continue to initiate and implement reforms to build strong institutions, entrench the culture of open governance and inspire public trust.

FG hails Gombe’s public service reform